Radiator vent valve



Aug. 14, 1934. R, F. GIBBS RADIATOR VENT VALVE Filed NOV. 22,` 1933 INVENTOR.

y/mz; am fs ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 1.4, 1934 i 1,970,448 RADIATOR VENT VALVE Ralph F. Gibbs, Norton, Mass., assignor to The Improved Seamless Wire Company, Providence, R. I., a corporation of Rhode Island Application November 22, 1933, Serial No. 699,115

Claims. (Cl. 236-62) My present invention relates to an improvement in valves, and has particular reference to vent valves for use in steam radiators.

Heretofore, various types offvalves have been 5 devised for the purpose of permitting escape of air from a steam system while preventing the escape of steam. These valves have utilized complicated mechanism subject to mechanical defects, or have included thermostatic controls 19 which operate when contacted by the steam flow into the radiator to close an air outlet.

The thermostatic type of vent valve is of simpler construction, but has encountered practical diiculties in use, as it has been found diiicult to provide a suiciently strong' operating move,

ment unless the parts are made of relatively large size and with great care, the manufacturing and selling cost being thus unduly increased. Moreover, such valves have been difcult to repair, as the replacement of the thermostatic units and their setting `in proper operative position has heretofore required skilled workmanship.

I have therefore devised a novel construction for a thermostatic vent valve, which utilizes a' small number of easily manufactured and inexpensive parts, and which may be readily assembled and quickly and effectively repaired by unskilled workmen.

With the above objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and more specifically dened in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a preferred form of radiator vent valve, `the thermostatic control being shown in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section similar vto Fig. 1, the thermostatic control being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 -3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the thermostatic units; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one thermostatic strip.

the parts being `removably moimted together.-

The essential features of my invention include Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter. 1

As illustrated in the drawing, a preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a valve casing 10 including a base member 11, and a head 13, -so the head 13 having a vented cap 14 threadedly seated thereon. The head 13 has a closure tip l5 secured therein in any preferred manner, the tip having a central air outlet 16 therethrough which is countersunk at the inner end to provide a Valve seat 17.

The base member 11 includes a nipple 18 for threadedly engaging the usual opening in the upper portion of a radiator, and a central support 19 which has a reduced end 20, theV support .70 receiving a guide rod 21 of slightly smaller Width and of non-circular section, preferably squar'e, formed with a recess in the lower end thereof for seating over the reduced end 20.

A plurality of thermostatic units 22 are remov- 75 ably mounted on the guide rod 21, each unit consisting of two arcuate bi-metallic strips 23 each formed of integrally "joined layers 23a, 23h of metals having different coecients of expansion, such as invar and brass. The grain of the strips is preferably in the same direction, and the strips are elongated, and preferably generally rectangular in form, whereby bending of the strips when subjected to an increase in temperature bends all the grain in the same direction and thus elimi- 8 nates internal stresses which tend to impede the movement of the strips and their resultant upward thrust.

The strips have centraly openings 24 which correspond to the cross section of the guide rod, and are assembled by sliding them over the guide rod in the relation shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the end strip contacting the support 19. A valve device 25 is provided, consisting of a bell 26 with a cen- A tral guide tube 27, a valve rod 28 being secured 95 to the upper portion of the bell, see Fig. 2, and terminating in a conical valve 29 adapted to cooperate with the valve seat 17; the valve device is positioned over the thermostatic control with the guide tube seated on the terminal strip, and is guided by the guide rod so as to seat the valve upon the valve seat when the thermostatic units expand in response to rise in temperature due to contact of the entering steam.

It is thus evident that the novel valve colistruc tion has an air outlet which is closed by upward movement of a valve device whenl the radiator .is lled with steam; that the thermostatic control is simple in arrangement but exerts a powerful upward thrust on rise in temperature to'move the n0 valve device upwardly and close the air outlet; and that the entire arrangement can be readily manufactured, assembled, and repaired without especial care and without requiring the services of skilled Workmen.

The alternate staggered relation of the unit series increases lthe accessibility of heat to all the units; and the non-circular transverse contour of the guide rod 21 andthe corresponding shape of the openings 24 prevent derangement ofthe radial arrangement of the units.

While I have described-a specic constructional embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, the relation and the material of the parts may be made to meet requirements for different installations, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as deined in the appended claims. Y

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a body member, a head having a vent passageway terminatingin a valve seat, a base member, a thermostatic control-mounted on said base member consisting of thermostatic units mounted in series on a central support, and a valve device having a tubular portion extending loosely over said central support and seated on the terminal unit of saidthermostatic control in guiding relation to said central support and including a valve and movable uponexpansion of said thermostatic control to seat said valve upon said valve seat.

2. In a device of the character described, a body member, a head having a vent passageway therethrough terminating in a valve seat, a base member, a thermostatic control seated on said base member consisting of. thermostatic units in series, each unit including two arcuate bi-metallic strips of elongated shape concave with respect to each other and contacting at their end edges,

contiguous units being non-parallel and at xed angular relation to each other, and a valve device comprising a valve, engaged by the terminal unit and movable upon expansion of said-units in response to temperature rise to seat said valve upon said valve seat.

3. In a device of the character described, a body member, a head having a vent passageway therethrough terminating in a valve seat, a base member, a thermostatic control seated on said base member consisting of thermostatic units mounted in series on a central support, said support and said units having cooperating parts permitting sliding movement on said support and preventing lateral displacement of said units with respect to said support, and avalve device comprising a valve, engaged by the terminal unit and movable upon expansion of said units in response to temperature rise to seat said valve upon said valve seat.

4. In a thermostatic control, a plurality of thermostatic units each comprising bi-metallic strips, said strips having aligned non-circular openings therethrough, in combination with a guide element of non-circular outline corresponding to said non-circular openings and extending therethrough, whereby lateral displacement of said strips relative to said guidel element is prevented.

5. In a thermostatic control, a plurality or' units, each unit comprising two bi-metallic strips of arcuate form, the two strips of each unit being concave inrelationto each other and with their end edges in abutting contact, said units being non-parallel and at fixed angular relation to each other and secured together for cumulative movement upon change in temperature.

RALPH F. GIBBS. 

